REVENGE OF THE SITH

Part III – To All Things, A Beginning

He had another vision of his past, this time it was clips of different buildings on different planets. Something told him these were the strongholds he had set up as dark lord and they needed to be destroyed.

Immediately.

He silently thanked Kreia for keeping several galaxy maps within her ship. All he could detect from the vision was that his strongholds rested within the Outer Rim. He had a fairly good idea Yavin 4 was a member of these and his heart beat wildly at the thought.

Yavin 4 had been the last stand for Exar Kun and though he doubted there could be anything there, he remembered his vision of having built something within the tomb of the Sith Lord.

He wasn’t looking forward to this, not at all. If he could lose all restraint on Korriban, he wasn’t sure what would happen once he got on the planet documented for its dark flow of energy.

The former Jedi Master was apprehensive as he sailed the small shuttle to the fourth moon of Yavin. He didn’t know what to expect there and it worried him. This was the part of his journey that he truly dreaded.

He was all alone now and any trouble he could potentially find himself in would need to be solved by him. He would have no one beside himself to watch his back and it troubled him. Though he did this for the greater good, he didn’t know what he was getting into.

Though he was on a time restraint, Revan took as much time as possible getting to Yavin 4, quietly thinking to himself or trying to meditate. Twice more he had his vision of his future with Bastila and their children, but once he had one so disturbing…he was in some building – was it building?

He didn’t know – and there were timed force fields that blocked his path to some unknown enemy. When he could move safely, Revan charged at his opponent, matching blow for blow until he was able to run his saber into the center of the man’s chest.

But it was the man’s identity that disturbed him.

At first, it was just some random Sith. Then it began to twist and change until he recognized the youthful face of Ellis Yoly.

“Revan?” the young man groaned. “Help…me…”

Then the face turned again, this time into Carth, who asked why Revan had done it, then to Mission, and finally to Bastila, who looked so pained to see him. He had woken up immediately, greatly troubled by what he had seen. It did little to steady his nerves about going to Yavin 4.

Yavin 4

Back in its heyday, the fourth moon of Yavin had been a beautiful place. It had been lush with green trees and thickets and animals abound. It had been broken into four land masses, with various oceanic waters seperating them. Yes, Yavin had been a beautiful place at one time.

But then Exar Kun had arrived and discovered the other planet of the True Sith. The natives there – twisted creatures of the dark side known as the Massassi – had taken Kun as their leader and had built large and exquisite temples for him and for their reward, the Sith Lord had drained their life forces from them.

The planet was left a barren wasteland; the fires that started thanks in part to Kun and the Republic’s stand off had left the planet a virtual desert, one that could easily rival that of Tattooine or Korriban.

But as Revan flew high above the fourth moon, he could see that the years after the bloody seize had slowly, but surely helped Yavin grow into what it once was.

It was the rain season, so some of the bodies of water had begun to fill once again and the water also helped rebuild the tropical climate, but there was still an area of barren waste and Revan didn’t think it by chance that it happened to be the area he was heading in.

The former knight landed his borrowed shuttee within the lush plant life and began to make a hike towards the dilapitated structures in the distance. He regretted not learning more about the moon before hand as he fought off pirana beetles and fire bees, cringing when one of the digusting creatures touched him.

“Master of the Jedi Order and you don’t bother to bring along a can of beast and bug repellant.” he mumbled, using a bit of Force Lightening to kill one flying nusiance.

On the other side of the tropical beauty of Yavin 4 was a dirt city, filled with broken down structures and burnt trees. There was still black ash on the ground from the fires that destroyed the natural habitat, but the buildings were incredible.

There were temples all around him; some big, some small; most were in bad need of repair and some looked as though a slight breeze would knock them over. They of course were nothing compared to the large structure that stood slightly in the middle of them all.

It used to have a domed roof at one time, but the steps that lead one inside still functioned. It was by far the worst standing structure, but by some sheer will, it held fast and seemed to be beckoning Revan to come inside.

The young knight was drawn in by the silent chants in his head and he took the first step and the second, until he stood at the entrance way. He could see the remains of the door from where he stood; it’s surviving half laying about 15 meters from where it used to hang.

The interior reminded him of the Academy on Korriban, with its large center chamber and different hallways to both sides of him. Something told him to go to his left first and he obeyed it, walking down a charred hallway of black.

At the very end was a sealed door that creaked open when he pushed it, then promptly fell to the floor with a resounding bang. Inside, the room looked like it could’ve been a medical facility; shattered glass littered the floor, as broken beakers were spread around.

In a corner, he saw a storage container and began to go through it. He found a number of life support packs and something called a squad recovery stim, whatever that did.

He looked around once more, finally taking note of the whispy voice that told him what he seeked was close at hand. It then directed him to go the opposite way he had come. He went back into the open, then headed straight ahead to another door, just as the sealed one he had opened.

This room looked to be a training facility, as there seemed to be an eerie shadow of the training room on Dantooine. In the far back was a large footlocker, which after some skillful slashes from his light saber, he was able to open.

Inside was a wealth of melee weapons, some he had never even seen before. He picked up a Baragwin Assualt Blade, weaving it around to test it. As he tested several of the blades, his attention immediately focused on one blade that seemed to have magically appeared.

Revan couldn’t take his eyes away from the sword, its shiny blade calling to him. He put down the blade he was using and walked over to the one that called his attention. It looked to be an ordinary vibroblade, but when he touched it…oh, when he touched it…

It felt like it had been molded to fit his hand and he could feel a power like he had never felt before coursing through him. It unsettled him at first, but the blade seemed to be…talking to him, telling him he was supposed to feel powerful because he was powerful.

Something in the back of his mind told him this was dangerous, this blade meant him harm, but his rational side – for that’s what it had to be, right? – told him he would be protected with this blade.

Shaking his head, Revan placed the blade on his back, placing the others in the bag he had brought. There was only one way left to go and that was the way that waited him at the left.

He walked back to the center lobby and headed to his left, an intense feeling of dread suddenly creeping over him. There was a much larger door that stood before him and when he pushed it open, he was surprised to see people inside.

The interior was much like the tombs of the dark lords on Korriban and Revan wondered if this was where Exar Kun’s body rested. There were two people standing in front of a large throne like chair and they turned slowly when they sensed him.

Revan was shocked by their appearance; they seemed to be humans though with dark red skin, and small horn tufts on their chins. Their eyes were the blackest of night and they were staring right at him.

The young knight was in for another surprise. He could feel the Force flow through these two and what he felt alarmed him. They were on the dark side, as though they were born to it. At first, he had thought them to be parishioners, and then thought they were misguided followers of the Sith, but as he felt their Force…

“Holy Sith!” he cried, barely managing to throw on Force Immunity, to no use as one of the men sent such a strong Force Push, it not only managed to shoot Revan back out the room into the center hall, but disabled his immunity.

Slightly stunned, Revan quickly grabbed his lightsabers, preparing himself for a duel. He watched as the two calmly walked from their places and towards him.

“I see you guys are gonna be a real challenge.” he joked. “Cool. I think I’ve managed to work up a bit of a sweat, so how about a real workout?”

The two didn’t take the ribbing, nor did they prepare themselves for a battle. In fact, they seemed almost bored with Revan, as he looked between both of them. After a brief staring contest, Revan – always up for a good fight and being impatient at best – taunted, “Hey, I don’t have all day here. Are you guys gonna show me something or…” An image appeared in front of the young Jedi, scaring him and causing him to jump back and land on his backside.

One of the beings stared at him, a small wave of his hand was the only thing Revan caught with his peripheral vision before horrible visions invaded his mind. It only took a second before Revan was screaming at what he saw and only a second after that before he was on his feet and high tailing it out of the temple and back to his ship.

He wasted no time in putting in the destination for some random planet and lifting the shuttle into the air. He didn’t seem to breathe until he was far out of the atmosphere of Yavin and only then did he realize he was crying.

Ossus.

Revan spent several days just recovering from his encounter with the beings on Yavin 4. He had some minor damage from their initial attack, but it was what he had been shown that had shaken him. He never wanted to experienced anything like that ever again nor did he ever want to talk about it.

The other thing that troubled him was the vibroblade he had taken from the training room. He had set it aside, using his rest bit to go over his inventory, but his eyes could not stray from the blade that just lay there, seemingly calling him.

Sometimes Revan could ignore the whispering that seemed to fill him when he looked upon it, but most times he could feel another part him cry out from his past. Finally, he became so unnerved by it, he stashed somewhere away that he wouldn’t look upon it, lest it drive him mad.

It was at least a week before he decided to ventured from his shuttle and by then he realized he had put in the destination for the planet of Ossus, sited place of the first Jedi Order and that of the true Jedi Archives.

It seemed to be a stroke of luck for Revan to find himself here; he wanted to know who those beings were that had attacked him on Yavin 4. They had so frightened him, he hadn’t even been able to search for the stronghold he had there.

But perhaps he could do research while hiding out and recuperating. He hadn’t realized how long he had been on his quest until he had glanced at the ship’s chrono. According to it, he had been gone from Coruscant for nearly three years and when he had seen his reflection in the mirror, he could see he had let time pass too quickly.

He now had a head full of hair and he had three years worth of beard on his chin. He would need to get a shave and a haircut. For now, he turned his attention to the planet he would land on.

Ossus had once been the center of the Jedi; legend said the very beginnings of the Jedi Order began there and the utmost knowledge of the Order, the Great Jedi Library, had once been housed there as well. But it all changed when Exar Kun became a Sith Lord. He and Ulic had caused an explosion within the Cron Cluster, causing a huge backlash to be hurled toward the planet.

While the chaos ensued, the two Sith lords hoped to raid the planet of ancient Jedi artifacts. In fact, this was not the first time Exar Kun had been on the planet. He had once come to lure other Jedi Knights to the dark side and had slain his master, then had taken off with a Sith holocron.

The planet itself was much like Yavin and Tatooine. Even from the air, Revan could see the planet was a barren wasteland, never fully recovering from its heyday.

It was nestled in the middle of the Outer Rim and not too far from the Sith planets of Korriban and Yavin. It was ironic in a way; the Jedi never seemed to be very far from the Sith, if history had its true dictations.

The young knight found the landing dock and upon landing, wasn’t truly surprised to be approached by a Czerka dock worker. “Hello there, off-worlder.” he called, watching as Revan exited the ship. “I don’t believe I have your ship on my dock sheet, so I’m afraid I’ll have to ask for the standard docking fee of one hundred credits.”

“And what does my fee get me?” Revan retorted.

“Why, the right to dock here, of course.” the worker replied, looking at Revan as though he was new to this information. “Ossus isn’t much, but it does suit the Jedi historians and treasure hunters.”

Revan nodded, waving his hand slightly. “I look like a nice guy and you want to waive the dock fee.”

“You know,” the worker said. “You look like a nice guy. I think I’ll waive the dock fee, but just this once. Now that the formals are out of the way, is there anything I can help you with?”

“Tell me about this planet.”

“Well,” the worker began. “You’re standing at the port of OT-6583, otherwise known as Telus. It’s not much, thanks to the fact that the planet’s resources are long gone. You know Exar Kun came here, when this had been the big Jedi Library.

“He and another Jedi caused an explosion within the Cron Cluster, causing the debris and stuff to rain on the planet. Then he tried to take all the Jedi history stuff from here. You’ll probably learn more from Kumar. He’s the guy to go to for that kind of stuff.”

“Where is this Kumar?”

“He’s way on the other side of the planet,” the worker replied. “Where those crumbled buildings are. I’m sure you saw them when you flew over. He gives a tour of them to the tourists and when the historians come down. I suggest taking it, especially in light of what’s going on.”

“In light of what’s going on?” Revan repeated. “What exactly…”

“Oh!” The worker said, his attention being distracted to another ship landing. “I wish I could tell you more, off-worlder, but I do have a job to do. I’m serious about Kumar though. He’ll tell you anything you need to know.”

Revan watched as the man quickly went to pry money from some incoming pilot before turning to gage his surroundings. The planet surface wasn’t too bad. The ground was black and grey, with a few glints of red, evidence left over from the debris. If anything it made the planet…unique in that regard.

He could see Czerka was already setting up to take another planet with it’s corporation. They had small shops set up, definitely for the tourists that wandered by. He stopped by one tent that was brightly colored with flags and banners.

“Hey there, friend!” replied the shopkeeper. “Can I interest you in some trinkets? Perhaps some weapons when you venture away from Telus.”

“Do have any maps?” asked Revan.

“I do sir, indeed!” The shopkeeper began to rumage through his wares before he looked up to Revan. “That’ll be fifty credits, friend.”

“Fifty creds for a crummy map?” Revan exclaimed. “You must be joking.”

“No joke.” the man replied. “You got the look of a treasure hunter about you or a historian and once you step out of Telus, you’ll be left to the remnants of what took place here nearly fifty years ago.”

“I’ll pay twenty five for it.” he bargained, looking the man in the eye.

The shopkeeper nodded, placing his hand out. “I’ll let you pay twenty five for it.” he murmured. “Give me your data pad and I’ll download one for ya.”

Revan handed over the pad, asking “Where can I find someone named Kumar?”

“That old coot is always held up in the building that used to be the Jedi Library.” the man replied, handing Revan back his data pad. “It’s the only safe place for his kind.”

“His kind?”

“Rumor has it the guy used to be a Jedi.” the shopkeeper continued. “With them dying out and all, it’s the only place he can hide.”

Revan looked at the shopkeeper in confusion. “Dying out?” he asked. “The Jedi are dying out?”

“Ask him.” he stated. “But I watch the holos and they definitely don’t have a leg to stand on.”

The young knight, though still confused, nodded at the shop owner for his time. He took his data pad and began to head for the other side of the city. The things he learned buzzed around in his head. What did that shopkeep mean about the Jedi dying out?

He studied his map, seeing there was a nearby cantina, as well as an all purpose shop next to it. The shop was where he stopped first and had been surprised when they were indeed all purposed.

He was able to get his long main cut to the shorter style he had as a child and got his beard trimmed thinner to suit his face. He then headed for the cantina.

The Ossus cantina seemed busy and slimey. It seemed all walks of life found themselves within the small place that day; everyone from pilots to bounty hunters. He passed by closely to the conversations of the bounty hunters, but was only able to catch bits and pieces of conversation.

He did hear the words “Jedi” and “Exchange” a lot and that worried him. He took a table near the back of the room and was quickly approached by an attractive Twi’lek waitress. “What can I get you, handsome?” she asked, leaning over him to where he could easily see her cleavage.

“What’s the poison of choice tonight?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“Most of the guys are just asking for ales and the like,” she purred. “But I think you’re different. And if you’re bold enough, I might give you something else.”

“Well, I am bold,” he replied, a smile on his face. “And I’m bold enough to order a Barium Fizz to start. Now what else do I get?”

The Twi’lek laughed. “Keep it up and you may get me.” She ran a hand over his head before walking away to get his order. Revan shifted in his seat, trying to calm the slight twinge he got with her contact.

He was a one-woman man, that was true, and he certainly wouldn’t do anything that would make Bastila question his loyalty and love for her. But he was a man, a very lonely man, and…his thoughts were interrupted when a stranger sat down at his table. He wore a brown robe and he had his hood up over his head.

“Something I can help you with, friend?” Revan asked.

“I wonder what you’re doing here.” the man replied, not raising his head to meet Revan’s gaze.

The young knight raised an eyebrow. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear…he shook his head and again addressed the stranger.

“I’ve have two things of Juma already.” the young man protested. “I’ll be fine. And to answer your question, you’ve yet to answer mine. What’re you doing here?”

Revan explained to him why he had gone and mentioned that he had a run in on one of the Sith worlds. He told Dustil as much as he could without delving into details. The young man shook his head slightly.

“Then you don’t know.” he whispered.

“I always hate when people begin with, ‘then you don’t know.'” Revan groaned. “It always means something bad is going to be known to me, but I am a glutton for punishment, so…what don’t I know?”

The young man pushed the pad to Revan before grabbing the young alien around the waist and sitting her on his lap. “Meet me. Two hours. Don’t be late.”

Revan raised his eyebrows at the mystery of it, more so at the young man’s actions and manner. Not wanting to stick around, he downed his drink in one gulp and left the cantina, hearing the waitress ask, “Do you like my lekku?” a sure come on line for a Twi’lek.

Revan found himself outside and decided to continue his exploration. He did see the fragments of buildings when he had first flown over and he could see them now, in the distance. And so that’s where he headed.

The buildings weren’t as dilapitated as those on Yavin, but they were in bad shape. He could see Czerka had a hand in setting up signs and the like, directing collectors and learners to the former Jedi Library. He sighed in slight relief.

At least the majority of Jedi artifacts were safely on Coruscant and Dantooine. He saw a group of people headed his way, louding talking and cooing about what they had just seen. One woman was tellling her husband that some Jedi had turned himself into a tree in order to protect the Jedi weapon, the lightsaber.

Revan looked past them to see an elderly man standing in front a large building. He looked to be about Jolee’s age, with light skin and white hair atop his head.

Revan walked towards the man, noting the building he stood in front of. It was square and sunken, like that of the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, but the destruction of the building was more pronounced than that of the copy.

There was moss and growth along the side walls and the front door was no longer there. The old man noticed the younger and he waved him over, looking about him to see if they were the only two around.

“Come here, me boy!” he called, making Revan turn in his direction. “I have to be careful about who I entrust my knowledge to.” the man continued.

“Are you…”

“Kumar?” the elderly man interrupted. “Yes, yes I am. And I know you as well, me boy, though I think it is quite dangerous for you to be roaming the galaxy. Especially with the bounty on Jedi.”

“Wait,” Revan said, looking at the man. “There’s a bounty on Jedi? How did you…”

The old man just smiled, turned, and began to walk into the building. “Well?” he asked, when he saw Revan did not follow. “Are you coming or not? We’ll be in private in here. My tour is over for the day. Come on!”

Revan took a moment before he followed the old man through the entrance. The interior was much worse than the outside. Though it seemed to be cleaned up a bit, one could see that a great battle had taken place inside.

The walls seemed to be burned and there was a waxy substance on some of the walls and floors. Something akin to the fountains on Coruscant had probably once stood in the center, but all that was left was a stone wall that was cracked and battered.

“Never been here, have you?” the old man asked, noticing Revan’s staring.

“No sir.” he whispered. “Was this really…?”

“The Great Jedi Library?” Kumar asked, with a chuckle. “It was, as well as being a minor training facility. It was mostly for the archives, but some came here as a place of mediatation. Now, my question is, what in Saint’s name are you doing roaming around when there’s a bounty on Jedi?”

The two walked into a small room, one that looked to be a classroom of sorts. It held a desk, obviously placed there by Kumar, as well as some books and data pads.

“I wasn’t aware there was a bounty on Jedi.” Revan retorted, looking about the room. “And I haven’t exactly said I was a Jedi, either.”

“Reventhal Corren.” the old man responded, causing the younger one to look at him in surprise. “You were born on Deralia.Your mother died in childbirth, suffering from complications. You showed you had great command of the Force, even at the age of four.

“You began your stint as a Jedi at that age, becoming a padawan at the young age of nine. Ten years later, you were made a knight. Two years after that, you became a master. Then the Mandalorians began taking planets and…well, the rest is well known.”

Revan studied the man, his hand hovering over his weapon. “That’s a neat trick.” he said, turning his saber on with a hiss. “You must teach it to me.”

The old man smirked. Revan lunged at him and was surprised when a green lightsaber blocked his one blue. “Then it is true.” he whispered, pulling back and turning off his saber. “You’re a Jedi.”

“Don’t go saying that too loudly.” Kumar chuckled, also replacing his weapon. “And yes, I knew who you were. I could feel the Force from you a mile away. And I figure you’re not here on any pleasure cruise. So what is it then?”

Revan shook his head. There were so many questions.

“Let’s start with the basics, shall we?” the old man replied. “I was a knight, like you, in the Order during and after the whole Exar Kun mess. In fact, I volunteered to come and salvage what we could. The Great Library housed a great deal of things, including the background information on its members.

“That’s how I knew about you. Now, why did I have a special thing on you? Call it a passing hobby. I keep up with things and I like knowing about people, especially the enemy. I learned about you and Malak when you were with the Sith. I didn’t know if what happened before would happen again.

“Now you’re going to ask about the bounty.” he continuned, taking a seat on the edge of the desk. “I’m unsure on that at the moment, only that some big boss of the Exchange put a million credit bounty on every Jedi in the galaxy. Again, I’m not sure why. There are drawbacks to being in the Outer Rim, especially on a planet that rarely sees nor hears anything. Most of our holos are just now being filtered in.”

Revan stood, slackjawed. “What’s being done about this?” he asked. “Surely the Senate…”

Kumar huffed. “After all the trouble we’ve caused the Republic?” he spat. “No. Too many of us have turned to the dark side and there’s no way the Senate is going to mess with that. Besides, I think some of them wouldn’t mind seeing us die off.”

The young knight shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.” he whispered.

“Nothing these days does.” Kumar sighed. “Anyway, I gave you that. Now, what the hell are you doing out here?”

“No!” Revan exclaimed, blinking when he realized he had practically screamed his answer. “No…I need…I’m on a quest and part of that is discovering about these ancient beings.”

Kumar regarded him for a moment, before saying, “Well, you technically came to the wrong place. Korriban or Yavin would have the answers you seek.”

“I’ve been there and done that.” Revan huffed. “Look, I know that some Jedi encountered them and that there were matings and stuff like that. But what I need to know is who the Sith were before they became the Sith we know them to be?”

Kumar sighed. “Again, you’ve come to the wrong place.” he said. “I can barely tell people about the Jedi that were here. Though…I do know the True Sith disappeared along the Outer Rim and I do know you and Malak had quite the cruise hanging out around ther. I’d check some of those planets if I were you.”

Revan nodded, thanking the man for his time and knowledge. He had hoped he would’ve gotten more, but then again, learning that the Jedi were being haunted was something that seemed pretty important.

Was that why Dustil was here? Revan checked his chrono, seeing he needed to meet with the young man in a few minutes. He wasted no time in leaving.

The place Dustil had had wanted to meet was an abandoned apartment of sorts. Nothing terribly big, but it was in a rather seedy place; right behind the cantina. But Dustil wanted to meet in an alleyway behind that and that’s where Revan found him.

“Are you sure we should be meeting out here?” he asked, tentatively.

“It’s secure.” the younger man replied. “No one is ever back here. Now…I think there’s some things you should know.”

“I know about the bounty.” Revan said, surprising the younger man with the information. “I was over at the former library. Kumar told me, but I don’t understand how that could be possible.”

“The temple is gone.”

“What?” Revan asked. He was joking. The boy was mad, but the look on his face said otherwise.

“The Jedi Temple is gone, destroyed.” Dustil whispered. “I wasn’t there when it happened. I was on Telos with my father, but Master Bindo contacted me. He said it came from the middle of no where, when no one suspected.”

Revan’s breathing quickened. Bastila… “When…where…” he stumbled, running a hand through his hair. “What about the Order? The…Jedi themselves.”

“Master Bindo only told me to stay on Telos.” Dustil said. “From what I know, your friends are okay. Master Bindo is all right, as is Juhani.”

“Dad signed back on with the fleet.” Dustil continued, as though he hadn’t heard the former Jedi master. “That’s actually why I came here. I hoped to find Jolee, but so far no luck. But I think…I’m pretty sure that he knows where she is.”

The young man walked up to Revan. “I know she’s all right though. And I know if anyone knew where she could be, it would be my father. Unfortunately, I’m not sure where he is.”

Revan took a calming breath to steady himself. Of course she was all right. He would know if something had happened to her, he would know it. And Carth would help her; he’d watch over her, like he promised. She was okay, she was okay, she was okay…

“Do you remember Canderous?” he asked, suddenly, causing Dustil to look at him.

“Find him.” Revan said. “You find him and he’ll give you shelter. It’s not safe out here, on the Rim. I’d…I’d feel better if you were away from here. I know you know people, Dustil, people that can help you. Do whatever it takes, just find him. His name is Canderous of the Ordo Clan. Tell him I said to give you protection.”

Dustil was speechless. He and Revan had really never gotten on well together, but they had a slight truce and certainly, Dustil wondered why he had even bothered to approach the man when he had spotted him in the cantina.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked, unable to stop the question once it had been formed in his head. “You and I…we’ve never really…why are you helping me?”

“Cause your dad promised he’d keep Bastila safe.” Revan replied. “He’d watch over her and wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He’s keeping the woman I love safe. The least I can do is make sure he never loses his son again.”

The two men stood, silently thinking to themselves. After a time, through an unspoken agreement, they both knew it was time to go and that this would be the last meeting for a while. They turned their seperate ways to go, Dustil stopping before he continued.

“Revan,” he said. “If I should see my father or Bastila…”

“Tell them…” Revan faltered, emotion seeping into his voice. “Tell them I’ll be home. Sooner than later, I hope, but I’ll come home. I promise.”